performance marketing Archives

2Stallions & Digi-TAC: Digital Marketing Solutions for TACs in Singapore

2Stallions Digital Marketing Agency is pleased to announce that we will be supporting Singaporean Trade Associations and Chambers (TACs) in their digitalisation efforts as a Pre-Approved Digital Marketing Solutions Vendor for the Digi-TAC programme.

The Digitalisation of TACs Programme (Digi-TAC) was launched by the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) and SGTech in a joint effort to help TACs grow their businesses through digital activities.

“The future of business is digital,” Dhawal Shah, co-founder and Regional Managing Director of 2Stallions said, “and it’s important that we as a digital marketing agency are doing everything we can to help businesses of all kinds step into that digital space. This is why being able to support TACs as a Digi-TAC Pre-Approved Digital Marketing Solutions Vendor means a lot, to us and to the TACs we are here to support.”

Digitalisation has been at the forefront of business growth for more than a decade now. In fact, studies show that Internet user growth alone has risen by a factor of 2.27 over the past decade. Basically, more and more target customer audiences are going online, and businesses have to follow to stay in touch with them.

As an added advantage, the digitalisation of marketing initiatives allows for real-time data analysis.

2Stallions Head of Performance, Geetha Boyani, elaborates: “Digitalisation has improved efficiency and productivity for all kinds of businesses. Data-driven digital marketing, in particular, has brought organisations and their target audience together through value exchange and personalised user experiences.”

In essence, the result of digitalisation is a better understanding of customer behaviour, leading to vast improvements in user interfaces and experiences on websites and other digital platforms.

Digital marketing solutions can help businesses of all kinds stay ahead of the changing digital environment and help them leverage useful tools like Search Engines and Social Media platforms.

About the Digi-Tac Programme

The great thing about the Digi-TAC Programme is that it supports TACs in two distinct ways:

1. The adoption and integration of digital solutions to help TACs grow
2. The training of TAC teams to help TACs move forward in the digital space

In other words, not only does it create opportunities for TACs to use digital marketing solutions, but the Digi-TAC programme also provides training opportunities to consolidate the benefits of those solutions in that industry.

Supported by Enterprise Singapore, eligible TACs can apply for support and grant funding until 31st July 2025.

The grant amount for each TACs is $60,000 (SG) for the 3-year programme with a cap of $30,000 per year. In addition, 70% of support for qualifying costs is granted to TACs to help them get started.

If you want to check whether your TAC is eligible, visit the SBF website.

2Stallions Digi-TAC Digital Marketing Solutions Packages

Package A – Search Engine Optimization + Social Media Advertising (3 months)

Benefit to TAC: Rank higher on search and grow your membership/event registrations

Our 3-month package combines Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Social Media Advertising (SMA) to deliver results.

With SEO, we’ll help you improve your ranking and attract more visitors through search engines. And with SMA, we’ll deliver targeted ads directly to your audience, increasing conversions and driving growth. This package has the potential to increase your organic traffic and expand your social media reach.

Package B – SEO with content creation (12 months)

Benefit to TAC: Get more visitors to your website pages through search

Our 12-month package combines SEO with high-quality content creation to deliver powerful results.

With SEO, we’ll help you rank higher on search engines and attract your target audience. And with our expertly crafted blog articles and infographics, we’ll help you engage and educate your audience, generating more leads and driving traffic. This package has the potential to increase your organic and referral traffic making it a smart investment for any TAC.

Package C – Search Engine Marketing (SEM) with landing page development

Benefit to TAC: Drive membership growth, event registrations and awareness with Google Ads

Our SEM package includes targeted Search Ads and professional landing page development to deliver results. This can drive membership growth, build awareness or drive registration for TAC events. With our expert team handling your campaign, you can expect highly qualified leads and an increase in website traffic. This package is ideal for TACs looking to take their online presence to the next level and generate measurable results.

Package D – LinkedIn Marketing

Benefit to TAC: Build quality followers and thought leadership on LinkedIn

Our LinkedIn marketing package is designed to help you to create a monthly content calendar featuring 12 engaging posts that showcase your TAC and its activities.

We’ll create and publish high-quality content that resonates with your target audience. The package includes high-quality photos and video creation that will be used in your LinkedIn posts. This package has the potential to increase your social media reach.

Package E – Marketing Automation

Benefit to TAC: Leverage on automation such as membership renewal automation

This marketing automation package is designed to help you streamline your digital marketing efforts and improve engagement with your audience.

We will recommend processes for automation and create up to 3 customer nurture sequences to drive activation and engagement e.g. include event registration automation and membership renewal automation. By automating emails, social media posts, and other marketing efforts, you’ll save time and do more with a small team.

Our expert team will handle the setup and execution of your automated campaign, you can expect increased ROI through lead nurturing and a better overall customer experience.

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Awards

2Stallions Wins Gold for Pivot Marketing at Marketing Excellence Awards 2022

We are proud to announce that 2Stallions Digital Marketing Agency has been awarded gold for Excellence in Pivot Marketing at Marketing Excellence Awards 2022.

The Marketing Excellence Awards are designed to celebrate, recognise and reward Singapore’s outstanding marketing campaigns. It is the premier platform for marketers to showcase their creative excellence, successful strategies and effective delivery.

“I’ve always been in awe of the agencies that win at what Cheryl Lim has termed it as the “mother-of-marketing-awards,” Razy Shah wrote on LinkedIn after receiving the award on behalf of the agency, “…I’m grateful to the panel of judges for recognizing our efforts and of course to my teammates for delivering a successful campaign for our client.”

The champions for 2022 were chosen by an independent judging panel comprised of high-calibre, senior industry experts from reputable brands. You can find the full list of winners here.

This year marks 2Stallions’ 10^th anniversary, and we are grateful that our work is making such an impact. We work together with our clients and our teams to ensure high-quality campaigns and digital marketing initiatives, and it’s great to see that the efforts of all sides are recognised.

Furthering on his comments, Razy called it a “…beautiful way to cap off our 10 years in the digital agency business…” and we couldn’t agree more.

If you’re out there, wondering how you can drive sales and increase your lead generation, perhaps it’s time to look at improving your own performance marketing. If so, get in touch today, we’re happy – and eager – to help.

For more information about the latest edition of the Marketing Excellence Awards, click here.

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Digital Marketing

Getting Started with Performance & Data-Driven Marketing

Are you curious about performance marketing but don’t know where to start? This beginner’s guide will teach you everything you need to know, from understanding what performance marketing is, to learn the basics and how it works.

Statista’s latest report shows that the performance marketing sector is expected to be worth a whopping $646 billion by 2024. So what does that mean for your business? If you’re not already using performance marketing, now is the time to start!

Everything You Should Know about Performance Marketing

Performance marketing is a type of marketing designed to generate measurable results, such as leads, sales, or other conversions. This strategy can be used to achieve a variety of business goals but is most commonly used to drive growth.

Whether you’re a startup looking to acquire new customers or a large company aiming to increase sales, performance marketing is a good route to take as it greatly helps in reaching your target audience and getting them to take action.

What Purpose Does Performance Marketing Serve?

If you’re not familiar with performance marketing, it’s important to understand how it works.

Performance marketing is a data-driven results-based marketing approach, meaning everything is paid based on the results generated. Results can be in the form of views, clicks, leads, sales, or other conversions.

Performance marketing is a powerful and holistic approach to online marketing that focuses on delivering results. Marketers also use this technique to track and measure the effects of their marketing campaigns, in terms of both cost and results.

So, how is performance marketing measured?

It starts with an important step: selecting metrics or key performance indicators (KPIs) – for example, return on investment (ROI) or cost per lead (CPL) Then, marketers measure and report every action completed against the pre-decided KPIs.

Since performance marketing follows a data-driven marketing approach, making it a part of your overall digital marketing strategy. It not only ensures you pay for the results you get but also lets you make data-backed decisions.

Ways to Integrate Performance Marketing in Online Channels

Performance-based marketing can be used in any online channel, including search engine marketing (SEM), email marketing, and social media.

Here are a few different ways to integrate performance marketing into your online channels:

1. Use Performance-Based Ads

One way to integrate performance marketing into your online platforms is to use performance-based ads. Performance-based ads are advertisements shown to users who are most likely to convert, such as people who have previously visited your website or engaged with your brand on social media or other online channels like email and search engine

2. Use Analytics and Insights

Another way to integrate performance marketing into your online channels is to use Google Analytics and Social Media insights. Social media insights are data that Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms collect about their users. This data can include information about users’ interests, demographics, and even their purchasing habits.

Through the use of Google Analytics, one can easily take a data-driven marketing approach by installing a tracking code on the site and monitoring user behavior including drop-off rates, bounce rates, and retention rates

3. Use UTM Parameters

You can also use UTM parameters to integrate performance marketing into your social media platforms. UTM parameters are codes you add to your links, which help track clicks or traffic coming from your social media post.

Here is an example:

Performance marketing is a great way to measure and improve your social media campaigns. By using performance-based ads, social media insights, and UTM parameters, you can fine-tune your campaigns to get the most out of your social media platforms.

How Does Performance Marketing Work?

Performance marketing is an ecosystem that consists of various players: retailers or merchants, affiliates or publishers (including those who work via independent networks), and third-party tracking platforms.

Each group is essential for understanding how the different parts work together and can provide insight into what really resonates with potential customers.

1. Affiliates or Publishers

The affiliate is the “middle man” between an online retailer and its marketing affiliates. They manage all business relationships and are responsible for driving sales traffic from other websites or individuals that earn commission on products sold by either party involved.

Aside from increasing sales, affiliates also play a crucial role in growing your network, monitoring sales from affiliate sites, and helping out with questions or concerns when needed.

2. Third-party tracking platforms

Third-party tracking platforms provide a one-stop shop for information and tools, such as banners and text links, which can be used to track the performance of your ads.

As the name suggests, third-party tracking means that an external partner directly checks your traffic and engagement. The process keeps tabs on what pages of your site have been viewed and how long these visits took place as well.

Things like measuring customer satisfaction levels with products/services also help you understand where changes need to happen.

Performance marketing is about knowing your customer. You can’t do that if you’re not tracking your customers’ behavior on the platforms, so make sure to set up a ‘third-party’ tracking platform before launching anything.

Why is performance marketing becoming more popular?

Today, people are looking for products and services they can’t find anywhere else. This is why performance marketing has huge potential to scale your business when you embrace its full functionality.

Performance marketing gives brands access to audiences that traditional advertising can’t reach without inflated prices or uncomfortable interruptions like ads popping up on social media sites.

Here are two benefits of performance marketing:

Campaign Transparency

Performance campaigns give businesses an opportunity for transparency by providing real-time data regarding campaign effectiveness.

Brand awareness

By partnering with affiliates and agencies, you can tap into new audiences that are interested in your brand. It also helps increase traffic to the website from these partners’ sites which means higher conversion rates as well.

What are the types of performance marketing?

Performance marketing is an umbrella term used to describe many different types of marketing.

One company might decide they want the best return on their investment (ROI) by focusing on only one area while others may use multiple aspects in order to reach specific business goals.

1. Social media marketing

Social media marketing has become one of the most popular forms in recent years. It’s an excellent way for companies to reach their target markets and interact with prospects and customers online.

A lot has changed since social networking first took off–brands now have access not only through Facebook profiles but also to Instagram accounts where they post everything from their travel destinations to personal preferences.

This means that there’s no shortage when trying out new strategies on what type of negotiable message might resonate best across different platforms. Personalized content will always win over traditional ads any day because consumers want connection rather than typical transactional relationships.

2. Affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is an innovative way to drive customers and increase revenue. By rewarding one or more affiliates based on the number of visitors they bring in, you can nurture relationships for increased sales and growth.

In simple terms, affiliate marketing refers to the practice of sharing products and services on your website or social media channels in exchange for an honest review. When someone uses this link with their purchase, it will trigger commission payments.

What’s not to love? With the potential of making money off your favorite products and services, there are plenty of reasons why you should consider doing affiliate marketing:

a) Low cost and effective

The risk and expense of starting a business are substantial, but with affiliate marketing, all you need to do is rent or buy an internet domain name for your website.

b) High scalability

Affiliate marketers have the opportunity to work with many different companies and promote their products. This means you can choose which commissions will be most beneficial for you.

3. Sponsored content

Sponsored content is a type of promotional media paid for by an advertiser, but created and shared with the help of another brand or influencer. This kind can be most engaging when you sponsor companies that target your core audience.

In recent years, there has been much focus on sponsored posts as opposed to traditional advertising because it takes less time, and sometimes just one picture will suffice.

4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO is the process of improving your website’s ranking on search engine results pages. The influence of organic search versus paid-for results is debatable, but one thing that isn’t up for debate: is the importance of SEO in today’s digital marketing landscape.

Maintaining your site rankings through good content and external links will provide you with more opportunities than ever before when it comes time to market via websites, social media, or email campaigns.

5. Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

Search engine marketing is a digital advertising strategy that helps websites rank higher in search results. The industry term once referred to both organic SEO and paid, but now it’s almost exclusively used for advertisers who use Google Adwords or Bing Ads among other platforms.

What are some useful performance marketing tips?

Now that you have the basics down, it’s time to up your game with these performance marketing tips.

1. Create a winning landing page

The more enticing a landing page, the higher chance you’ll have of attracting your desired audience.

Your goal should always be to generate leads. By designing an informative and engaging webpage, users get what they need without hassle or confusion facilitating a quick decision-making process.

2. Monitor your marketing efforts for optimal performance

Marketing analytics allow you to track the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns and strategies. Monitor data in the customer journey throughout each stage. For example, it can include website traffic or Facebook page likes.

The ability for this information is what makes it so powerful because insight into where things are working best helps with future planning – while also giving feedback that will help improve current efforts if needed.

3. Stay compliant with regulations

To be successful, you need to establish relationships. This means following their rules and guidelines for performance marketing campaigns so that both parties (affiliates and brands) are on board.

Make sure your business is compliant with communications and multimedia regulations. Take an in-depth look at each of the guidelines or work it out through professional affiliate management companies like 2Stallions.

FAQs About Performance Marketing

1. What is the difference between performance marketing and digital marketing?

Digital marketing refers to any form of marketing, which takes place online. In other words, it’s everything from social media and email campaigns all the way down your advertising.

Performance marketing programs are an innovative way to connect with customers. They offer affiliates and marketers the opportunity for real-time tracking of desired actions, such as lead generation or sales conversions

2. Can I do performance marketing myself, or should I hire an agency?

You can do performance marketing yourself. As long as you have the time, money, and a team to do so. However, getting professional help is still the top solution. Luckily there are agencies like 2Stallions who can take care of your needs.

3. What is the difference between inbound marketing and performance marketing?

Inbound marketing is like a conversation. You don’t interrupt your audience with content they’re not looking for, but instead, form connections and solve problems that are already on their minds.

“Inbound Marketing Methodology” attracts customers by creating valuable experiences tailored around what’s needed.

Whereas performance marketing puts the advertiser back in control, allowing them to determine the action they want to be taken and then pay only when that action is completed.

Conclusion

Whatever your business needs are, there is a digital marketing strategy for you. As the world becomes more digitized and interactive every day, it’s important to stay on top of your game – and performance marketing can help you do just that!

Through this marketing approach, you can access huge audiences at low costs, engage current customers, and attract new ones who may have been otherwise overlooked by traditional methods.

You don’t want to make a mistake when it comes down to branding and marketing. If you think your company needs some help with this, give us a call or shoot an email!

2Stallions is more than happy to offer expertise in performance marketing so that everything runs smoothly from start until finish.

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Online Marketing

Guest Post: How Software Development Helps Marketing Teams Today

No one can argue that marketing has changed a lot in the last few years. There has been an influx of advanced technologies in the marketing space, including artificial intelligence, big data analytics, and automation.

The advancement in software development is a major contributor to this revolution. New, advanced, powerful software has reshaped what marketing teams can do–from understanding their target audience better to creating more effective marketing campaigns that can lead to business growth.

That’s why most businesses nowadays depend on software development for their marketing needs. But what are the technologies that are responsible for this growth? Let’s have a look.

Technologies That Are Shaping Software Development for Marketing Teams

Artificial intelligence, big data, and automation are at the forefront of the software development revolution.

Before you implement any software for marketing, make sure that the software has passed testing in the software development stage. This ensures that the software will work as intended and give you the desired results. You can opt for manual or automation testing. But, in today’s day and age, automation testing is the better option.

If you lack knowledge about automation testing, you can check out this automation testing tutorial. It’s specially created for beginners. It explains automation testing in simple, easy-to-understand language.

Now, let’s have a look at the impact of each technology in detail.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) has applications in every business operation. In marketing, it can help analyze customer behaviour. Analyzing this data can help your marketing team to make informed decisions about the marketing strategy to be adopted.

For instance, Samsung leveraged AI for marketing its S8 model. It used social listening tools on social media sites to understand what its customers want. They then fine-tuned their marketing strategies. This helped garner attention to their product and led to increased sales.

Automation

Automation refers to the tools that can handle repetitive tasks and reduce human intervention. The software helps prioritize and carry out marketing tasks, resulting in increased productivity and time efficiency.

For instance, automation can help send emails to customers at a predefined time. With this technology, businesses can send new users automated emails to welcome customers. The emails can have special discount codes and can invite them to make their first buy, helping improve customer relationships.

There are many channels available that enable companies to collect, organize, and analyze customer data. The collated data helps businesses get a bigger picture of the customer persona and create more personalized marketing campaigns, increasing their sales opportunities.

Benefits of Using Software For Marketing

Here’s a look at the top six benefits of using software for marketing:

Adaptability

Software development companies can create custom software for any business. The best thing about custom-made software is that it’s highly flexible and adaptable. It can meet every business marketing need based on the current demand, including task automation, KPI measurement, customer data analysis, and more.

Reduce Repetitive Tasks

Traditional marketing methods involve a large number of mundane, repetitive tasks. These tasks result in a loss of time, money, and resources. AI-powered software can take care of these tasks seamlessly, allowing your marketing team to focus on other important work.

For instance, a chatbot can be implemented to handle customer queries on a call or text chat. Software with Natural Language Processing (NLP) capabilities can automatically reply to basic customer emails. The emails can be related to product information or order status, discounts, etc.

Measuring KPIs

Measuring KPIs is essential for business growth. It allows marketers to measure their marketing performance and its impact on the company and helps them make critical adjustments to optimize their campaigns for success.

Manual KPI measurement and analysis is a time-consuming and tedious task. Instead of measuring KPIs manually, why not automate them?. Marketing tools with automation capabilities can measure various metrics in real-time, trigger alerts, and detect marketing and sales opportunities.

Scalability

Did you know that investing in custom software development can help scale your organization easily? Custom software has the potential to expand and accommodate new requirements compared to pre-developed software solutions. It can grow automatically as your business needs increase.

Personalization

Personalized marketing is the future of marketing and guarantees a better return. It helps in addressing each customer in the best way possible.

For instance, businesses can tailor their marketing campaigns according to their customers’ data, such as browsing history, location, and average buy price. The best part is that the software takes care of data mining and analytics autonomously.

Quick Support

Most businesses have an in-house software development team, while others rely on popular software for their marketing needs. Whatever the case, round-the-clock support is guaranteed if anything goes wrong.

You can easily reach out to development teams for bug fixes, performance upgrades, or update any feature when needed, letting you get the best out of the marketing software.

Things to Consider Before Implementing Software for Marketing Teams

Everyone needs marketing software today. But before you use one, consider the following things to make an informed decision:

Your current situation and marketing methods and how they are helping your business
The overall marketing strategy and goal you wish to accomplish by using software for marketing
The impact of software on your target audience
Current and future marketing trends involving software use
The urgency to use software

Parting Thoughts

Using software for marketing purposes provides a host of benefits. Businesses that fail to invest in software for marketing are bound to fall behind their competitors.

Before implementing any software, you must assess first your current situation, future needs, and marketing goals you wish to accomplish with your team.

About the Author

Dan M. is an editor at TestProject. He has been building teams and coaching others to foster innovation and solve real-time problems. Dan also enjoys photography and traveling.

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Marketing Expert Series

Strategic Marketing & Branding with Bernard Yong

Strategic marketing and branding is one of the leading sectors in marketing today. Gone are the days of ‘set and forget’ marketing tactics or ‘hope for the best’ strategies; nowadays, it’s all about strategic insights and taking action on collated data. One of the affects of this shift is that marketers must now have at the very least a good awareness of the impact of their work – and, hopefully, an ability to understand that impact.

As we’ve seen before throughout the Marketing Expert Series, marketers come from all sorts of backgrounds and paths. For some, jumping into the world of marketing is no surprise: a logical step from their background or education that just makes sense. One such individual is our Expert for this issue, Bernard Yong, the Head of Strategic Marketing and Brand Experience at Mah Sing Group, one of Malaysia’s leading property developers. With an affinity for data and analytics, and with a Bachelor’s in Software Engineering, it’s no surprise really that Bernard found his way into marketing, bypassing the IT industry altogether.

Join us for this issue of the Marketing Expert Series to gain a deeper insight into the world of property development marketing and strategic marketing and branding.

Welcome, Bernard! Thanks for joining us in this issue of the Marketing Expert Series! Let’s start with the basics. Tell us a bit about yourself. How did you get to where you are now?

My background actually is in Computer Science, more specifically in software engineering – I have a Bachelors. However, I haven’t touched a single line of code ever since I graduated back in 2002. I guess at that time, a career in programming just didn’t strike my fancy. After graduating, I did a stint of corporate advisory (with an international accounting firm), where we advised clients on fund-raising and listings.

I first got into property in 2006. Although I had no background nor experience whatsoever in property at that time, I’ve always had a personal interest in property as a product, as an investment vehicle, and as an embodiment of someone’s dreams and aspirations. My role was as Marketing Manager, handling high-end strata projects in Kuala Lumpur.

From there, I moved from strength to strength, and have been in property – in one form or another – ever since. My initial years were focused on sales & marketing, and I made the switch to specialize in Branding and Strategic Marketing when I made the move to TRX City Sdn Bhd back in 2012. Moving away from the core of sales and marketing, into branding and B2B initiatives, was a great learning experience.

I joined my current company in 2017, and my portfolio – besides handling branding & strategic marketing – expanded in 2020 to include the nascent Experience Management division – which I basically kickstarted. The purpose of this new division is to drive increased customer satisfaction amongst our buyers.

Were you always interested in marketing? How did you find your way into this career?

I’ve always had an interest in marketing. During my 20s, I embarked on quite a number of start-ups and business ventures (part-time), ranging from an online clothing retailer to an aggregator of property news. As with any start-up, a robust understanding of marketing was a must, and all these learnings complemented and added value to what I was doing in my day job.

Currently, you’re the Head of Strategic Marketing and Brand Experience at Mah Sing Group. What sort of work does Mah Sing do and what role do you play there?

Mah Sing is one of Malaysia’s largest property developers, and my role is multifold as I head two departments within the organization.

One of my departments – Branding & Strategic Marketing (BSM for short), is the steward of the brand, focusing on driving positive brand perception, awareness and recall. This department also handles all group-related marketing initiatives, ranging from group sales campaigns to partnerships and sponsorships. We’re also tasked with improving overall marketing efficiency for the group, in terms of increased conversions, reduced CPAs, and improving overall marketing ROI.

My second department, which is Experience Management (XM), serves to improve customer experience and satisfaction with regards to our business. We kickstarted a ‘Voice of Customer’ program, where we obtain real-time feedback from customers, and use it to measure out NPS and CSAT scores. With this in place, we’ve then had to work to develop the right KPIs, set up the right organizational structures, obtain the buy-in from key stakeholders, in order to drive change and improvements.

Property development is an interesting industry. What sort of challenges do you face and how do you overcome them?

Yes, it’s an interesting industry. The main challenges now are, and I’ll keep it brief:

The awareness and discovery phases of marketing are increasingly taking place online. This may not seem like a big deal for most industries, but property is still a very bricks-and-mortar physical product. Customers mostly still want to see the physical product (in our case, it’ll be the show unit), before they sign on the dotted line. So, it is this straddling off online and offline, or online-to-offline (O2O as they call it), and striking the right balance, which poses an interesting challenge. We overcome this by building up our online offerings and channels, as we’ve always been strong offline. By building up, I mean ensuring that the sales process is digitized so that it can be monitored and tracked, focusing on increasing the effectiveness of our web assets, shifting more spend to digital marketing, and training and upskilling our team to sell across different modes of communication.
In Malaysia, the property market is going through a soft patch. Structural issues mostly – oversupply caused by many years of rampant development, economic slowdown caused by COVID-19, stagnation in wages and compressed affordability, etc. We’ve responded by shifting our product offerings over the years, to focus more on mass affordable properties. 91% of our recent products are priced below RM700K. The days of selling million-ringgit properties are for now at least, put on hold in view of buyer preference and sentiment.

Let’s talk about you personally, you’re a successful marketer with a lot of experience in branding and creating strong customer experiences. How have your career experiences shaped you as a marketer?

I think all our experiences, be it career or personal, help shape who we are as a professional. There were many lessons learned, and yes mistakes made. I think given my background in IT, and my fondness for data and analytics, I’ve evolved into a marketer who is very much focused on performance.

No matter what we roll out, my question to my team is always “Well, how did it do? Did it meet our objectives?”. The days of execution for execution’s sake, or as the famous saying goes “Half of our marketing budget is going to waste, the problem is I don’t know which half”, are long gone. Marketing is becoming increasingly data-centric, and attributable, and that has greatly informed the way I approach marketing, and even branding in general.

Looking back at your career, is there any experience that you feel had a bigger impact on your life as a whole? Or do you feel like they all add up?

They definitely all add up. I can name one experience which really made me pause and evaluate myself and my approach to leadership. There was one incident where my department suffered a flurry of resignations. Needless to say, this was highly discouraging – to me personally, and disruptive to our operations.

Looking back, I believe I could have perhaps been more attuned to the sentiment of the team, and been that stronger leader they needed at that time. A bitter pill to swallow, yes, but a necessary one. That has definitely impacted the way I lead now, hopefully for the better. I’m still learning.

Now, COVID-19 – the topic none of us can ignore. How have the lockdowns and movement control orders impacted the property market and your work at Mah Sing?

It definitely has impacted the property market. While interest is still high, people are still registering their interest and making bookings (online), there is still a lot of waiting and seeing before they finalize their sale (sign on the sales and purchase agreement). We hope that with the NRP announced recently, the opening up of the economy will happen sooner rather than later.

Do you think there will be a lasting impact from the pandemic that will affect how property developers and indeed marketers go about their business?

Yes, it will. This has been a global, market shifting experience. One that will leave a lasting impact. For one, the way property developers design properties will change. From the previous focus on increasingly fancy common areas and a focus on ‘placemaking’, we have shifted to a strategy of ‘homemaking’, whereby the home is now the core of your personal life. A home is now to be more flexible, cosy, intimate, secure.

In terms of marketing, the massive shift to online and virtual channels will definitely affect how we plan and execute our marketing campaigns. We’re still experimenting with a lot of different formats and mediums, and it’ll be an interesting journey of learning for sure.

What’s next for you, personally? Is there anything you’re looking forward to most when this pandemic is over and done with at last?

I most look forward to hitting the skies and travelling with my family again! I think 99% of people out there would echo this sentiment.

Any advice you’d give to young and aspiring marketers specialists?

To achieve success for all your plans and initiatives, you need to know what success looks like. What is the outcome (measurable) that you want to achieve? Plan that out, measure it, and work your butt off to achieve it. In today’s world, there is no longer a divide between traditional and digital marketing. Marketing = Digital. So, get comfortable with metrics and analytics, it’ll serve you well.

Thanks for spending some time with us, Bernard! How can people connect with you if they’d like to know more about you?

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernardyong/

Mobile/WhatsApp: +6012-5266551

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Digital Marketing

5 Reasons Why You Need an Account-Based Marketing Strategy for your B2B Marketing

We’ve discussed account-based marketing (ABM) strategy before, and talked about its resurgence in recent years. ABM – also known as key-account marketing (KAM), is a B2B marketing strategy based on goal-setting and key account targeting. In essence, ABM allows companies to better reach and communicate with individual prospects or accounts, treating them as a market of one. Think of ABM as a one-to-on approach instead of a one-to-many; generating specific leads with a fishing line rather than fishing broadly with a net.

Typically, an account-based marketing strategy is used to help align sales and marketing teams and maximize return on investment (ROI) for marketing campaigns. To make it clear, there are some very good reasons why companies might want to adopt ABM in their B2B marketing strategies:

5 Reasons You’ll Benefit from an Account-Based Marketing Strategy

1. Personalised Communications.

ABM relies on research and knowledge of target prospects, as a result, it allows for improved personalised communication. Peronalised marketing strategies are proven to have a higher impact on engagement, appealing to customers and prospects’ emotions. Personalized email introductions, for example, that address people by name rather than by the boring, generic, ‘Dear customer’ or ‘Hi!’, have a greater chance of drawing and keeping interest. ABM takes personalized marketing to the next level, developing specifically targeted content that engages decision-makers and draws them through the buyer’s journey.

2. Improves Marketing Resource Efficiency.

One of the key weaknesses of a traditional marketing funnel is that it is often stretched too thin. Traditionally, marketing resources tend to be expended on raking in as many leads as possible. ABM helps structure and plan marketing efforts so that they are being spent in the right places on the right accounts to drive the most revenue. Think of it as a strategy that focuses your marketing and sales efforts where they will do the most good.

3. Enhances your Tracking.

ROI is a critical part of analysing your bottom line and engagement. It’s important to review and track the impact of each of your campaigns to continuously improve and build on your successes. By understanding the effectiveness of each individual aspect of your ABM strategy you will be even more effective moving forward.

4. Increased Alignment of Sales and Marketing.

One of the biggest problems we encounter in today’s traditional marketing departments is that sales and marketing teams function in individual silos. A key strength of ABM is that it draws sales and marketing teams together, out of their individual pillars and into a joint team with the same goals. A solid ABM strategy requires that sales and marketing work closely. ABM keeps these teams working together instead of working independently.

5. Defines your ROI

All marketing initiatives need to be measured, and ABM is no different. The difference is that ABM provides a clearer, more focused picture of your ROI because it is a clearer and more focused approach. In any marketing activity, measuring ROI is critical and, nowadays, is more easily accomplished through the vast array of automation and software tools we now have at our disposal. ABM allows us to see both the return on investment for an ABM initiative and areas for improvement based on how leads are responding to your content.

Final Thoughts

Account-based marketing can have a massive impact on your B2B marketing strategy. Using a more focused, united approach, it is a strategy that provides a higher quality of leads that are more likely to convert to higher-value customers. It’s a more efficient use of both your marketing and sales teams, aligning them in pursuit of enhanced lead generation.

Are you looking to enhance your ROI on lead generation? We’ve done some great work in this field using SEM and SEO, or get in touch and let’s work together to optimize your lead generation today.

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2S Team Stories

6 Questions with Performance Strategist – Geetha Boyani

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a performance strategist? Performance marketing is – as its name suggests – marketing based on performance. It’s a term that refers to a skillful combination of online marketing and advertising campaign programs.

Did you know that between 2019 and 2020, digital marketing budgets saw an increase in an average of 13%? This upward trending budget indicates an uptake in digital marketing. Technology is constantly changing, and performance marketing uses those advancements to drive successes. Performance marketing initiatives are the latest ‘hot’ thing, and not likely to go away, in fact, it’s likely to dominate the marketing sphere for the years to come.

As a result, a performance strategist plays a key role in the future of marketing. This week, we hear more about what makes a performance strategist tick, and how our very own performance strategist, Geetha Boyani, found her way to the #2StallionFamily.

Tell us about yourself! Who are you and where did you come from?

Hey! I am Geetha. I’m a Performance Strategist at 2Stallions. To break down my job title, I build data-driven strategies to reach target audiences in the digital space. I specialize in Search Engine Marketing (think of Google!). Furthermore, I’m a tech nerd, especially when it comes to tracking what users do on a website and how they become customers.

I come from an Engineering background, with a degree in Civil Engineering. Fresh out of college, I found an interest in the financial aspects of construction projects. Later, I went on to get a Masters in Project Management. After graduating, I made the conscious decision to switch to a career that blends my interest in dollars and numbers with project management. I must say I found that golden blend in digital marketing.

Is there someone who inspires you? Or something that motivates you?

I don’t really have role models per se. Being a numbers person, I find motivation in results. I wake up every day knowing I have a challenge ready for me at work. Solving these challenges and hearing “wow, it’s solved!” is definitely inspiring. I store these reactions so I can draw on them when things get tough.

You’ve come from a non-marketing background. Was it difficult for you to work in a field that was outside of your degree specialization? Do you have any advice for fresh graduates who are currently looking for jobs and are open to explore different career paths?

The world of work has changed drastically. We’re moving away from the belief that your degree decides your entire professional life and with technology updating practically every day, new opportunities are constantly created.

In my opinion, learning new skills based on your passions can go a long way. For example, I learned Java programming as part of my school curriculum nine years ago. Between then and now, I hardly used it in my work. When I made the transition to digital marketing and joined 2Stallions, one of the early projects required a custom script to track how users interact with a form. The script used Javascript. Going back to the basics I learnt nine years ago, I picked up how Javascript works and then implemented the solution.

I started my journey as a fresher in all three companies I have worked in so far. Each experience has been different however the common learning has been to stay teachable. Also, as freshers, we come into industries with some expectations like about the kind of work we do, or the team we are in. We all need to identify what our priorities are, not every workplace has a pool table. Ask yourself, does that even matter? What worked for me was to find a mentor or friend to talk with. Those conversations helped me manage my expectations.

Are there any tips or tricks you use to get yourself going when you might find yourself stuck with developing a strategy or tactic to help a client or even your own personal brand?

Competition is a Pandora’s Box of insights. When I develop strategic plans for clients, I take time to check out what the competition is doing. This puts me in the place of an end user. When I am stuck, I go back to that user journey and ask myself, “Why would I go for this <brand> vs the other?” This gives me a new perspective on what I am missing and how I can better provide for my client.

Can you share some of your favorite marketing guides/non-marketing books?

I prefer to listen to podcasts or read blogs for marketing aspects. Currently, I have The Paid Search Podcast and Neil Patel’s Marketing School on my playlist. The audiobook Hacking Growth by Sean Ellis is lined up as my next read.

As for non-marketing books, I found Girl, Stop Apologising by Rachel Hollis memorable. It’s a must-read for anyone feeling that they are not good enough.

Is it true that an agency life is work without play? Tell us a little bit more about the culture at 2Stallions.

Honestly, I was scared to join an agency after hearing those stories. After joining 2Stallions, I believe the team played a huge role in helping me fit in. Our agency culture is best defined as “supportive”. I found amazing friends in my co-workers. Even though we are all working from home for most of this last year, we have come together virtually (and sometimes in person) to catch up on life outside work.

What about outside of work? What makes you tick?

Anyone who knows me associates me with the word “Toastmasters”. When I am not working, there are high chances that I will be working on Toastmasters related projects.

Toastmasters International is a not-for-profit organization, based in the USA, committed to developing communication and leadership skills with a learn-by-doing approach. In Singapore, there are more than 200 clubs where people can practice their speaking skills. I have been part of Toastmasters for close to 10 years now, and through this movement, I have met my mentors as well as got the opportunity to mentor others. To an extent, I would credit Toastmasters for helping me identify digital marketing as a career choice.

Wrapping Up

Connect with Geetha on LinkedIn to learn more about her work as a performance strategist or about her work with Toastmasters!

Get to know our #2Stallionsfamily with the #2Steamstories tag. Discover the works done by our diverse team of digital marketing professionals who’ll bring your ideas to life with impactful designs. Browse and download our case studies now.

If you’re looking for a content marketing expert, don’t hesitate to contact us.

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Digital Marketing

3 Reasons for your Company join the Digital Transformation Era

The digital transformation era is here. Even if we were not ready for it yet, the events of 2020 have defintely propelled us forward. Digital transformation refers to the complete integration of digital technologies into business. COVID-19 has pushed most companies into adopting some digital strategies and technologies to stay in touch with their customers and keep themselves above water.

Full digital transformation takes time and patience. The pandemic has served as a wake-up call for businesses and their leaders to take the steps towards fully integrating digital systems across their company. Companies looking to undergo a digital transformation do not need to do it all at once. There four key aspects to digital transformation:

Processes
Business Model
Domain
Cultural/Organzation

Transforming a company at any time can be an intimidating and stressful endeavour if it is not planned out. By taking on one aspect at a time, companies can ease into the digital transformation strategically. Business processes are often the first to undergo digitization – preferred communication methods changing from old-fashioned memos to email is an example of a digital transformation that took place in the last decade for instance. Later the adoption of VOIP tools such as Skype, and afterwards instant messengers like WhatsApp, Line, or WeChat have been other such transformations that have digitized communication processes within business.

The transformation of company culture and organization and domain are often next, following the adaptation of communication processes. Tools like project management software, or community platforms like Facebook’s Workplace or SproutSocial’s Bamboo, help bring companies together and unify company culture efforts.

Adapting entire business models can take longer. Depending on the age and size of the business, it can take a lot of time to transform the very core of any company. Many business models have evolved over time, even if they were decided upon at the start of the company. Changes the company has faced over its lifetime will have had an impact on the way companies function. Digital transformation is no different – a type of evolution that companies will undergo if they are to survive in the new era, particularly after this pandemic.

But why should a company undergo such an evolution?

3 Reasons to Join the Digital Transformation Era

1. Digital Customer Journeys are on the Rise

Even before 2020’s pandemic, the trend towards the digital customer journey was obvious. The global increase in e-commerce, social selling initiatives, and the general climb in Internet penetration, did not need COVID-19 or social distancing restrictions to allow humanity go digital.

Consumers have more power than ever, able to research their potential purchases and compare notes with each other using reviews and referrals. Social media has furthered this empowerment, allowing consumers to connect with each other in even more personal ways and discuss brands and purchasing options.

Marketplaces and Shopify-powered websites make brands and products even more accessible, allowing potential customers to take their time to make the purchases and do their research. In essence, from start to finish, the customer’s journey is completely digital.

Optimizing customer journey satisfaction is the way to earn customer loyalty, and it’s a known fact that loyal customers spend 67% more than new ones.

Digital transformation would allow companies better access to their customer-base, not only for sales purposes but also with regards to marketing tactics.

2. Increased Data and Insights

A company’s ability to reach its customers is one thing, but digital transformation of processes and systems also allows for the influx of data. With real time information streaming in through analytical platforms, companies can now better track, analyze, understand, and anticipate customer behaviour.

Website analytics through tools such as Google Analytics can help companies gain insight into their audience and content preferences. Other measurement tools provide insight into social media habits, conversations, and again, their content preferences.

Additionally, with the rise in omnichannel marketing, the integration of online and offline data is an added advantage that a digital transformation can bring about.

Getting to know your audience even better is a solid advantage, and the data and insights brought in by digital transformation is something companies cannot ignore any longer.

3. Improved Inter-Company Communication & Collaboration

The improvement of in-house communication is something many companies can use. Digitization has saved many companies during the pandemic, keeping employees connected during a time when they may have been forced to work remotely for long periods of time.

In fact, many businesses are seeing an opportunity to shift from permanent, physical office space to a more-remote-based workforce. This, of course, comes with its own downside: not everyone is cut out for remote work for long periods of time, and it is possible that productivity will suffer as a result of this. On the other hand, however, a remote workforce is flexible and, with the help of proper digital transformation, need not be disconnected.

Providing digital means of connectivity, there is no reason that a company cannot build and maintain a strong, connected team.

Final Thoughts

Digital transformation is the next step in the evolution of business. While the pandemic may be forcing many companies to move faster than they may like, adapting to digital tools and processes seems the logical thing to do.

Is it time for your company to undertake its own digital transformation? 2Stallions can help. We specialize in digital performance marketing, website and app development, and can help you take the next step towards a fully integrated digital business setup. Get in touch today and find out how to get started.

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